Senior Director - Technical Assistance & Innovation

Habitat for Humanity Europe & Middle East•Washington, DC

3d•$128,600 - $191,300•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Director, Technical Assistance & Innovation leads the design, coordination, delivery, quality assurance, and performance management of technical assistance delivered through the MicroBuild Initiative’s Impact & Innovation Hub. The role ensures that MicroBuild Fund 2 investees receive capacity-building support tailored to their needs, such as housing readiness assessments and product development support. It serves as the primary operational bridge between the Hub and the Housing Finance Systems team within Habitat’s Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter, ensuring that technical assistance strengthens institutional performance, advances Fund objectives, and fulfills Habitat’s commitments to the initiative. The Senior Director collaborates with the Hub Managing Director, TCIS and Housing Finance Systems leadership, technical specialists, consultants, and external partners. In the initial years of Fund implementation, the role is expected to oversee and coordinate approximately 15–30 technical assistance engagements annually, including portfolio management, technical resource coordination, consultant oversight, performance monitoring, and partner collaboration. The role also supports technical assistance innovation, including the development and oversight of 2–3 annual pilots intended to benefit multiple institutions and advance the broader housing finance market. The position may be based in Washington, DC; Nairobi, Kenya; London, United Kingdom; or San Jose, Costa Rica. It follows a hybrid work arrangement combining in-office and remote work, with up to 40% international travel.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, Business Administration, International Development, Public Policy, Housing, or a related field.
At least 12 years of progressively responsible experience providing technical assistance and capacity-building support to financial institutions, including banks, microfinance institutions, community lenders, and other emerging financial intermediaries, in emerging and developing markets.
Demonstrated expertise assessing institutional capacity and designing and delivering technical assistance that strengthens housing finance and lending operations, develops new products, and builds relationships with financial institution partners across regions.
Experience working in developing and emerging economies and demonstrated ability to build and manage relationships with people and organizations across cultures.
Proven track record managing multi-country technical assistance portfolios, including strategy development, work planning, budgeting, implementation oversight, quality assurance, and performance improvement.
Experience working directly with financial institutions to assess organizational capacity, identify performance gaps, and implement operational, financial, product, and risk management improvements.
Experience facilitating collaboration across cross-functional teams, including program, finance, legal, compliance, monitoring and evaluation, MEARL, and communications.

Responsibilities

Develop and implement the Hub’s technical assistance strategy and tools; manage the overall technical assistance portfolio and annual workplan.
Align technical assistance priorities with annual Fund pipeline plans and emerging institutional needs, and participate in pipeline planning with relevant Hub, Fund, and Housing Finance Systems stakeholders.
Oversee the full lifecycle of technical assistance engagements, from identification and design through implementation and close-out.
Manage technical assistance budgets, timelines, risks, resource requirements, and performance expectations; allocate resources efficiently and monitor portfolio performance.
Build and manage a network of consultants, advisors, and implementation partners; coordinate internal and external technical resources.
Support development of scopes of work, procurement processes, engagement strategies, contracts, budgets, and resource plans; oversee consultant performance and deliverable quality.
Transfer lessons from Fund-supported institutions into TCIS programs, tools, and broader housing finance initiatives.
Incorporate field experience, implementation evidence, investee feedback, and lessons learned into technical methodologies, tools, and delivery models; contribute to Habitat’s housing finance advisory capabilities.
Contribute to annual country housing finance analyses, learning products, evaluation and documentation of innovative approaches, joint Hub-TCIS initiatives, learning papers, case studies, toolkits, conference presentations, and thought leadership materials.
Promote application of lessons learned across the technical assistance portfolio.
Work with the Research and Learning (MEARL) Manager to establish and monitor technical assistance performance indicators; track institutional, portfolio-level, and market-level outcomes.
Evaluate the effectiveness, scalability, and impact of technical assistance and innovation interventions; contribute to annual and Fund reporting and provide analysis of effectiveness, lessons, outcomes, and trends.
Provide information and analysis for Board reporting, annual reports, stakeholder communications, and Fund reporting; support evidence-based decisions on future technical assistance and innovation priorities.
Collaborate with TCIS and other stakeholders to conceptualize, design, and implement housing finance innovation pilots applicable across institutions and geographies.
Partner with TCIS, financial institutions, external partners, and other HFHI stakeholders to co-create solutions addressing emerging market needs, and coordinate external partner engagement for innovation initiatives and pilot implementation.